“You got it.”

He went to where the room service menu was laid on one of the tables and then called down their orders while Eden disappeared back into her room.

He felt her absence immediately. It was as though she took the sunshine with her, as corny as that sounded. But she just brightened any room she was in. He could honestly just stand in the same room with her and watch her. Could spend hours doing it. She was . . . genuine.

He felt guilty for the assumptions and accusations he’d levied at her. He’d acted like a first-rate dick and she hadn’t deserved that from him. For whatever reason she seemed to genuinely like him—was attracted to him. And he was a dickless twit who didn’t comprehend the magnitude of what this beautiful woman was offering him. Herself.

She’d asked for nothing in return. No hidden agenda. What could he offer her anyway? He couldn’t think of a single ulterior motive she could possibly have for pursuing him, nor could he imagine why she wanted him. But as the saying went, he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Nor would he spend time questioning it.

If she wanted him, then he was damn well going to give her what she wanted. Just as soon as he figured out when and how.

CHAPTER 13

SWANNY felt horribly guilty for eating the succulent steak right in front of Eden. He didn’t miss the longing in her eyes or the fact that her mouth was practically watering as he savored the perfectly cooked meat.

He’d never considered the sacrifices models had to make. He supposed he’d always assumed they were just naturally perfect and blessed with great genes and could eat whatever and never have to worry about weight gain.

But as they’d waited on dinner, Eden had explained her workout regimen, her diet restrictions and the arduous-sounding skin and hair care routine. It had to be exhausting. Add on to that the sometimes sixteen-hour days shooting and it sounded like hell to him. And yet she’d cheerfully listed her routine as if it were perfectly normal to work herself into the ground and carefully measure her caloric intake.

It was obvious that she made a lot of sacrifices for her career, and his respect for her grew the more they conversed. He was well aware of the stereotypes associated with supermodels. But so far Eden didn’t fit any of the negative assumptions so often assigned to women in her career.

He was as guilty of those assumptions as other people. He’d never considered the work involved in modeling and just assumed that it was a cakewalk and that all models were spoiled divas who were catered to and had their every whim granted. That beyond the practiced, polished exterior presented to the camera was a bitchy, completely fake personality.

Eden was quickly dissuading him of those notions, and he felt ashamed that he’d ever given any credence to those thoughts.

He cut off two large slices of the steak and laid them on Eden’s plate next to the bowl that contained her salad. Her eyes widened but her mouth was watering as she stared down at them.

“That’s too much,” she said with a groan. “But man, I want them.”

“Eat up,” Swanny encouraged. “I’ll get you up early and go down to the fitness center with you so you can work off those two bites before your shoot.”

She smiled warmly at him, and his chest did that weird seize that seemed to occur with more frequency the longer he was around her. “I’d like that,” she said, her eyes glowing softly. “Micah and David usually worked out with me, and believe me, they were grueling taskmasters! But I have to admit, they whipped me into better shape and they also taught me self-defense moves.”

Swanny had to work to keep the scowl from forming on his face at the mention of the other two men. Hell, he’d take over any self-defense training. Him and only him, for that matter.

“You can show me your moves,” he said, pushing away the jealousy that threatened to choke him. “I can always work with you when we have the time.”

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Why, Swanny, if you keep this up I’m going to think you actually want to spend time with me.”

“I think we’ve established the fact that I like spending time with you,” he said in a quiet tone. “I worried about getting in way over my head, but if I’m going to be honest, I think I’m already there.”

Pleasure spread over her pretty features, her cheeks dusty pink. “I’m glad I’m not the only one then,” she said huskily. “I’m not some vamp on the make here, Swanny. I need you to know that. If you weren’t . . . special . . . then I wouldn’t be in this room with you. I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to put myself out there the way I did and risk rejection. It wasn’t easy. I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”

Swanny’s heart softened as he saw the honesty and sincerity shining in her eyes. The idea that he had the power to hurt this woman utterly baffled him. He was going to have to pull his head out of his ass and do everything in his power to assure her that her attraction was not one-sided and that he had no intention of rejecting her or rejecting anything she offered him.

“I’ve handled all of this badly,” Swanny said, allowing his remorse to bleed over into his words. “And I’m sorry for that, Eden. You have to understand, this is new to me. And just as you said it wasn’t easy for you, it’s definitely not easy for me either. The idea that a woman like you has any interest in me . . .” He broke off and shook his head, still bewildered by it all.

She slid over on the couch so her left knee touched his right knee where he sat in the armchair diagonal to the sofa, their dinner spread out on the coffee table. She slid her hand up his leg, gently giving him a squeeze.

It wasn’t a sexual move and yet his entire body went on alert the moment her heat seeped through his jeans. He felt every part of her touch. It burned a trail up his leg, ending where her hand came to rest and where she left it as she looked up at him.

“Any woman who doesn’t see you as I do is a fool,” she said in a determined voice. “I don’t say things I don’t mean, Swanny. Not even to make someone feel better. I think you’re beautiful and I’m very attracted to you. I don’t go around blurting out stuff like that to men I don’t know. Or men I do know, for that matter,” she amended. “So this is definitely new territory for me, and it’s a little scary because you could so easily hurt me. And I’m not saying that to make you feel any obligation to give me something you don’t want. I just need you to understand that to me you’re something special. Maybe I don’t know everything about you. Yet. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to learn. I’d like to think I at least have a chance with you.”

This was a dream. An elaborate fantasy that he’d wake up from any moment now. He stared at Eden, knowing it was his turn to lay it out. That it had taken a lot of courage for her to be so forthright. He owed that back to her. But his tongue felt heavy and he couldn’t form the words. His throat felt like it was closing in on itself.

Her eyes flickered, that same brief hurt he’d witnessed before, and she started to withdraw, pulling her hand away. Goddamn it, he wasn’t going to do this to her again. He had to get with the program and start talking now.

He caught her hand, holding it tightly in his much larger one. It was a fascinating contrast, her tiny bone structure compared to his much larger frame. She had a delicateness to her that fired his protective instincts. Like if he didn’t handle her with infinite care, he could break her—hurt her—and he’d die before ever causing her a moment’s pain.

And yet that was precisely what he was doing by his boneheadedness. He was hurting her. Just not physically. A woman would only put herself out there so much before she gave up, and damn it, he didn’t want her to give up on him. He had to get his shit together and man up and quit acting like a moron who’d never been with a woman.